If you’re a book lover visiting the historic city of York, you’re in for a real treat. York is my home city – I live about 30 mins away from the centre, and I’ve always loved the hidden gems you can find there (not just books, all sorts!).
Whether you’re searching for second-hand books, new books, rare books, children’s books, or just your next read, the city is home to some of the best bookshops in the UK in my opinion. Each has its own unique charm, quirky personality, and hidden treasures. This post is your guide to discovering York’s independent bookshops on foot, in one day.
I set myself this little challenge of a York bookshop tour on my day off with our two young children (aged 6 and 3). They actually managed a day of exploring bookshops in York exceptionally well – we also threw in a trip to the National Railway Museum at the end of it, and they were bribed with bookish adventures (they’re both bookworms too!) and cheese straws along the way! It was the perfect place for a day out in York with kids!
While there were plenty of small shops, narrow staircases, and crooked doorways, the sense of discovery at each stop made it all worthwhile, especially when we unearthed things like vintage editions, graphic novels, Arthurian literature, and beautifully illustrated children’s books.
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This route is perfect for discovering independent bookstores, second-hand bookshops, and chain stores alike, all nestled between iconic landmarks like York Minster, cobbled streets like the Shambles, and cosy corners you might otherwise miss. Whether you’re after first editions, a grimoire, or just a great coffee and a browse, you’ll find something for everyone, from young adults to collectors of antiquarian books and out-of-print books.
Click on the map to follow our bookshop tour of York that is under a mile and can be walked in 16 minutes (not counting the time you’ll spend in each bookshop!). It also takes you along the York Shambles for some excellent bookish vibes too (make sure to peep in at the York Ghost Merchants). If you’re looking for sustenance to help you power through your bookshop tour of York, this route leads you right past Thomas the Baker on the corner of Kings Square (between Oxfam Books and Criminally Good Books) – we grabbed some sausage rolls and cheese straws for an on-the-go lunch in York.
If you’re travelling into York with or without kids, I’d recommend getting a Park & Ride bus as parking in the city is very expensive, and driving can be tricky (the Roman walls that surround the city don’t help!). I normally get the Rawcliffe Bar Park & Ride which drops you outside the Theatre Royal and picks you up again outside the Museum Gardens. For the bookshop walking route we did, we got off the bus at the Theatre Royal, crossed the road to Exhibition Square (where you’ll see the York Art Gallery) and passed through a small section of the city wall. This gets you started on Bootham where you’ll find The Blue House Bookshop and Janette Ray Bookseller.
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Accessibility Note: many of York’s historic buildings are not well-designed for accessibility, and the streets are the same – the walking route does take you down some cobbled streets, particularly the Shambles which is often very crowded too. Several of these bookshops are also set over more than one floor and/or have very tiny, crooked doorways and rooms. I’ve tried to note which are more easily accessed, for example, if they have a wheelchair ramp, but regrettably, some are not suitable at all – make sure to check the descriptions below if this is something you need to know.
Here’s a quick video summary of our day out exploring bookshops in York, read on to find out more:
The Blue House Bookshop
10 Bootham, York YO30 7BL
A perfect place to start your tour, especially if you have kids, Blue House Bookshop is a dream for little readers. Specialising in children’s books, this independent bookshop offers everything from baby board books to thoughtful stories for young adults. It’s a small shop but beautifully curated, with a bright and inviting atmosphere. Upstairs had a lovely seating area that my kids immediately clambered into and settled down with books.
The doorway is quite narrow, but there are no steps to enter. This shop is set across two floors, the stairway is steep and narrow, but there are plenty of books downstairs and the staff member that day was very helpful and friendly – I’d imagine they’d very happily check if there was a specific book you were looking for upstairs.
After warning my two that they could only choose one book each that day, they immediately appeared with arms full of books! We left with 3 books, whoops! They also run events for kids aged 8-13; I have a feeling Emmy will be there in a couple of years doing those!
Tip: It’s right next door to Janette Ray Bookseller, so you can visit both easily.
Janette Ray Booksellers
8 Bootham, York YO30 7BL
This one is more specialist, but worth popping in for a look, especially if you’re a collector. Janette Ray focuses on rare books and materials on architecture, design, landscape, and fine art, including lithographs of York and range of old maps. It’s quiet, curated, and feels like stepping into a treasure trove packed with rare finds. Best suited to the serious collector or academic browser.
Despite the specialist focus, the staff member was very friendly and had a search for anything to keep the kids occupied while I browsed – they ended up leaving with a little postcard of the shop front each which they were very pleased with!
Like the shop next door, it has a small doorway and a narrow, steep staircase – as is common in these very old buildings.
Tip: Head here immediately after The Blue House Bookshop if you’re with kids, then they’ll be occupied with the new book they just purchased there!
The Little Apple Bookshop
13 High Petergate, York YO1 7EN
The Little Apple Bookshop is a short walk from the first two, straight down through the city walls at Bootham Bar towards York Minster. It’s one of York’s most beloved independent bookshops with an eclectic and very well-stocked selection of new books, including excellently priced signed editions, local authors and books you might struggle to get your hands on in bigger chain stores.
It’s a small shop, but it packs a punch. This one will be top of my list for my next great read as I noticed their prices were all very competitive, especially for the signed and special editions I mentioned (I regretted buying my signed copy of Is a River Alive? by Robert McFarlane in Waterstones a few weeks ago after I saw it £2 cheaper here!).
I found tens of books from my TBR I could have walked away with very happily here, and they also had some bookish gift items plus a room at the back full of kids’ books too – it was very handy as I basically dropped them off in there while I browsed the shop, knowing their only way out would be past me!
This shop was accessed via a couple of steps so it might be worth checking ahead on access, but once inside, it’s all one level with enough room to manoeuvre.
The Minster Gate Bookshop
8 Minster Gates, York YO1 7HL
Located at the foot of York Minster in the heart of this city, this multi-level shop is genuinely like stepping into a treasure trove. Specialising in antiquarian books, first editions, and a brilliant range of second-hand books, it’s the kind of place you can lose hours in.
It’s packed wall-to-wall and ceiling to floor with books on history, art, literature, fine art, and more. I found a gorgeous out-of-print book here among many others, and was thrilled by the top level being home to a section on Classics and the ancient world. Downstairs is the “bargain basement” with new books at bargain prices and old books to clear.
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Unfortunately it wouldn’t be accessible by wheelchair at all as it is a very tiny, very tall building – it’s set over 5 floors! If you’re able to visit, it’s so worth it – it even has a library ladder to access the books at the top of the sheves.
Oxfam Bookshop
69 Low Petergate, York YO1 7HY
A great stop for anyone who loves a good cause and cheap books. This Oxfam Bookshop has a strong range of general booksellers stock, including plenty of Man Booker Prize winners, travel books, classics, and cookbooks.
We loved the children’s section here – even though it’s small, it has so many of my kids’ favourites, including a LOT of Enid Blyton. These are Emmy’s favorite books at the moment, and we’re now stocked up on several months’ worth of reading material for her!
There is a step to enter, but it’s a small one, and it’s all on one level and fairly open inside.
Between here and the next stop is where I’d suggest grabbing something to eat – you’ll pass Thomas the Baker at Kings Square, and they often have some form of entertainment going on here so you can watch something going on while you eat.
Criminally Good Books
14 Colliergate, York YO1 8BP
Next is Criminally Good Books which, honestly, ticks just about every box for me!
If you love a bit of true crime, crime fiction, thrillers, or anything from cosy mysteries to gritty noir, this is the best place in York. As the name suggests, it specialises in crime books of all kinds, with passionate owners and a cool, offbeat vibe. It is quite a new shop, it only opened in 2024, but has a range of amazing author events which you can find out about on their website, Criminally Good Books.
I’d come across this shop already on Bookstagram and knew I had to make it one of my stops on our York book tour. They had super friendly staff – as soon as I walked in the door, they’d swept up the kids to show them their little kids’ section and were quizzing them on their favourite things to select the perfect book for them. They then gave them a sticker each and settled them down in a chair with a book so I was free to browse – what else could I want?!
The shop is stunningly decorated with a huge mural going up the stairs to the second floor, an excellently curated window display and table of books in the entry. This section is easily accessed with a wider doorway than most and no step, however there are steps up to the till and another level upstairs. I imagine the staff here would be more than happy to help you out with finding anything you wanted though!
I left here with two books for me from my TBR, and Emmy just had to have another book – the second one the staff recommended to her, so they definitely knew what they were talking about!
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Now your route will take you down the York Shambles – it’s not 100% necessary to go down this route, but this is the York street that inspired Diagon Alley in Harry Potter so any bookworms might want to make their way down it! It’s often very busy and crowded, but look past the people and check out a few shops – I’d recommend the York Ghost Merchants for a friendly York ghost for your bookshelves (although be warned that queues can be very long as the shop limits how many people can go in!), The Shop That Must Not Be Named for Harry Potter merch, Monk Bar Chocolatiers for the chocolate cup filled with melted chocolate that you’ll see below (just don’t make the same mistake I did and let your daughter wear a white dress while she eats it!), and the Society of Alchemists for a giant, breathing dragon called Ouroboros – genuinely one of my favourite gems in York!
The Portal Bookshop
5 Patrick Pool, York YO1 8BB
Just off the Shambles, The Portal Bookshop is a warm and welcoming space focused on LGBTQIA books, graphic novels, and fantasy fiction.
It’s such a wonderful thing to find a place that feels inclusive, modern, and full of heart. There are beanbags, reading nooks, and a rainbow of covers lining the shelves. I’d say it’s a must for young adults or anyone looking to support a proudly inclusive independent bookstore. It also has the Over the Rainbow LGBTQ+ Cafe upstairs which sadly we didn’t have time to visit, but I imagine would make an excellent stop for refreshments!
This shop has a ramp available for entry.
The Works
5/6 Church St, York YO1 8BG
As we all know, this is not an independent bookstore, but if you’re a voracious reader of popular books, this has to be a stop on your bookshop tour of York. The Works is packed with BookTok popular books, often has excellent deals on books, and has special sprayed edge editions too. I can’t help but peek in every time I’m passing one nowadays, and fortunately, the kids love it too as it’s also full of lovely, tacky, plasticky things that they like to beg me for! Last time, we left with a set of plastic golf clubs for £6 too!
Though it’s a high street chain, The Works is a budget-friendly place for new books, kids’ activity packs, and seasonal offers.
It’s also easy to access with a big wide, flat entrance and room to manoeuvre inside – although one of my kids managed to knock down an entire display of toys, so I guess maybe not that easy to manoeuvre if you’re a 3 year old!
Waterstones
15 Coney St, York YO1 9QL
The final stop, at least on this side of the river, as we were out of steam to explore any further, was Waterstones. We stopped for a bubble tea next door for some final sustenance and sugar-power, then headed in.
Probably York’s biggest general booksellers, Waterstones on Coney Street is ideal if you’re looking for extensive stock, big-name titles, or simply a bookish coffee break.
There’s a café upstairs (there’s a lift!) and an excellent selection of fiction, young adults, graphic novels, and staff picks.
There’s also an accessible toilet available for the public to use downstairs in Waterstones – this has saved my life in the past when I had a potty training toddler in a pushchair and a baby in a carrier, and the only other place I could find was at the top of M&S!
And finally, after all the book shopping and browsing, we headed to the National Railway Museum to run off some steam!
York truly is a dream destination for book lovers. Whether you’re after something rare, beautifully illustrated, brand new, or just want to browse in charming surroundings, this city has something for everyone, even the littlest readers. Our bookshop walking tour turned out to be not only a lovely way to spend a day in York with the kids but also a reminder of the magic tucked into small spaces and crooked corners.
I hope this guide helps you plan your own literary adventure through York’s cobbled streets. Just remember to bring a sturdy tote bag, you’ll probably leave with more books than you planned (instead of 2, we came back with 6!)
